


2.5 Years

by rilina



Category: Naruto
Genre: Gen, Missing Moments, time skip
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-07-07
Updated: 2006-07-07
Packaged: 2017-10-03 08:42:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rilina/pseuds/rilina
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Missing moments from the time skip.</p>
            </blockquote>





	2.5 Years

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers through chapter 313.

1.

The first life that Sakura saves with her medical jutsu belongs to an ANBU operative. The hospital staff doesn't remove his mask, but Sakura guesses that Shizune knows him by the way she smoothes his damp hair off his neck.

Sakura never learns his name, nor does she ever ask.

* * *

2.

Her new vest's a little too big on her. Kiba-kun's is a little too small.

Swapping wouldn't help, of course.

"It's o-okay," Hinata assures her sensei. "I'll grow."

* * *

3.

When he needs to make a difficult decision as Kazekage, Gaara doesn't look to his predecessor's faces for guidance.

He turns to his window, gazes down at his village, and watches the sand blow through the streets.

* * *

4.

The enemy's blood on Ino's kunai is redder than she expected. Redder than poppies, redder than roses, redder than any flower in her family's shop.

* * *

5.

During a break in training, Kiba remarks to Shino that it's suddenly not as easy to pick up Akamaru as it used to be.

Kiba's astonished when Shino—gloomy familiar Shino, shinobi of few words—starts to laugh. In fact, he laughs until he has to pull off his sunglasses and wipe tears of merriment from his eyes.

"What?"

"You just noticed that?"

* * *

6.

After his latest conversation with Sasuke, Kabuto decides that Orochimaru's transfer into his next container can't come a day too soon.

* * *

7.

Kankurou tinkers with his newest puppet's traps while his siblings squabble. Or rather, while Temari rages and Gaara mostly ignores her.

Such conversations used to make him fear for life and limb; now they're oddly comforting.

* * *

8.

Tenten's proud of her boys, even fond of them. No one cheers louder than she does when one of them is honored.

Still, she asks herself sometimes why it's so rare for there to be more than one kunoichi on Konoha's shinobi teams.

* * *

9.

From time to time, Chouji places the three secret pills of the Akimichi clan in his pouch for special missions.

But now all of Team 10 carries a fourth pill: Tsunade's antidote.

* * *

10.

On the day he becomes a jounin, Neji stands a long time before the memorial stone. He thinks someone's watching, but he doesn't bother to activate his Byakugan to check.

"I hope you'd be proud of who I've become," he tells his father.

Behind a nearby tree, Hiashi knows Hizashi would be.

* * *

11.

Chakra crackles over Sasuke's entire body, burning hotter than any of the Uchihas' fire jutsus.

He's grown stronger, but his power's not enough to defeat the Mangekyou Sharingan. Not yet.

* * *

12.

Lee's elevation to chuunin represents a dream come true for sensei and student. Well, part of a dream, at least. Lee and Gai decide to commemorate the occasion by running five hundred laps around Konoha. Backwards.

During lap 372, they zip past the Hokage, whose expression clearly says _You better not undo my hard work._

Team Gai finishes its celebration at a restaurant.

* * *

13.

Ramen's always extra tasty after a week on a road. Naruto looks up from the remnants of his third bowl and sees Jiraiya clutching his chest, as if in pain.

"Hey, ero-sennin, that wound still bothering you?"

Jiraiya picks up his chopsticks again. "Nah. And have another, kid. Everything's on me tonight."

* * *

14.

"_You're_ one of Konoha's examiners?"

"I didn't exactly volunteer."

"Hmmph. You've grown taller."

Shikamaru smirks at Temari. "You haven't."

* * *

15.

Itachi reads the latest reports on Hidden Sound in one of the less damp corners of the Akatsuki's current lair.

How long will it take, he wonders, for the pawn he placed on the board so many years ago to finally reach him?


End file.
